Meta announced on Friday that it will revise its controversial special treatment of posts from high-profile users, such as celebrities and politicians, as part of an effort to safeguard its decision-making from commercial influences.
The company will either fully or partially implement most of the 32 recommendations put forth by an independent oversight board concerning its “cross-check” program, designed to act as a top authority for content and policy adjudication.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, stated in a blog post, “This will lead to significant changes in the operation of this system. These actions will enhance the program’s effectiveness, accountability, and fairness.”
Despite these changes, Meta did not disclose which accounts are afforded this preferential treatment in content moderation and has chosen not to establish a formal application process for entry into the program.
The company expressed concerns that publicly identifying users within the cross-check program could make them targets for abuse.
The modifications follow a December call from the oversight panel for a comprehensive overhaul of the cross-check system, which had been criticized for prioritizing business interests over human rights when allowing certain posts that violate guidelines to remain online.
“Our review found that the program seems more oriented towards satisfying business needs,” the panel noted in its report. “By affording extra protection to select users chosen primarily based on commercial interests, cross-check enables content that would typically be swiftly removed to stay visible longer, potentially resulting in harm.”
Meta clarified to the oversight board that the purpose of the cross-check program is to prevent wrongful content removals by ensuring additional human reviews of posts from prominent users that may initially violate the platform’s rules.
The company stated, “We will keep striving to make our content moderation decisions as consistent and accurate as possible, free from bias or external influences.” Meta also acknowledged that while business considerations are a fundamental aspect of their operations, they will continue to refine protocols to minimize bias and errors within their review and decision-making processes.”
